(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an enclosed type two-stage garbage compaction and storage structure, and more particularly to a compaction and storage structure having both a hydraulic cylinder and a rotary inner cylinder to compact garbage in two stages so as to considerably increase garbage compaction and storage efficiency.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Garbage disposal is an aggravating problem. It is therefore important to improve existing garbage disposal and storage structures. In densely populated communities where the amount of garbage is considerable, efficient garbage collection and storage structures are necessary.
There has been developed a kind of garbage storage device that utilizes guide plates to achieve garbage compaction. However, since there are different types of garbage, some relatively bulky garbage such as PE bottles and cartons will discount its storage efficiency. There has been later developed a kind of device with cutters for shredding the garbage so as to decrease its overall size and achieve higher storage efficiency. In such a device, garbage is dumped into a cutter device, which cuts the garbage into pieces for storage in a storage tank. The cut garbage is then discharged via an outlet to be removed by a garbage truck. More garbage can be dumped into, cut, and accumulated until the device is saturated. However, there are the following disadvantages with such a device:
1. The cutter device is not effective on larger or harder objects, which will damage the blades. Replacement of the blades is necessary, which adds to the cost and is therefore economically impractical.
2. As the storage tank relies on an inner cylinder with guide plates to compact the garbage, the compaction rate is not good. Besides, using cutters to reduce the size of the garbage is not reliable and economical, hence not suitable for the general users.
There is also available a kind of device that utilizes a hydraulic cylinder with a propeller to compact garbage until the device is saturated. However, although the compaction force of the hydraulic cylinder is large, there are the following disadvantages:
1. Using a hydraulic device as a main power source for garbage compaction will make the hydraulic cylinder and the propeller a large-size device, which requires a very large space and expensive maintenance. This is impractical for small communities, buildings or institutes such as schools.
2. There is only a single garbage slot, which is inconvenient.
3. Once such a device breaks down, repair thereof is costly and time-consuming. Therefore, it is not cost-effective.